Tectonic Setting

Rock Types

Population

Within 5 kmWithin 10 kmWithin 30 kmWithin 100 km

6,561
10,985
12,403
142,817

Geological Summary

The island of Pantelleria is constructed above a drowned continental rift in the Strait of Sicily and has been the locus of intensive volcano-tectonic activity. Two large Pleistocene calderas dominate the island, which contains numerous post-caldera lava domes and cinder cones and is the type locality for peralkaline rhyolitic rocks, pantellerites. The 15-km-long island is the emergent summit of a largely submarine edifice. The 6-km-wide Cinque Denti caldera, the youngest of the two calderas, formed about 45,000 years ago and contains the two post-caldera shield volcanoes of Monte Grande and Monte Gibele. Holocene eruptions have constructed pumice cones, lava domes, and short, blocky lava flows. Many Holocene vents are located on three sides of the uplifted Montagna Grande block on the SE side of the island. A submarine eruption in 1891 from a vent ~4 km off the NW coast is the only confirmed historical activity.

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Cones

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Acropoli

Cone

Almonza

Vent

Attalora, Cuddia

Cone

Bellizzi, Cuddie

Vent

Bonsulton, Cuddie

Vent

Bruciata, Cuddia

Cone

Cala dell'Alca

Cone

Cala dell'Altura

Shield volcano

Cala di Tramontana

Cone

Contrada Caffefi, Cuddioli Di

Vent

Dietro Isola, Cuddioli di

Shield volcano

Ferle

Cone

Gadir, Cuddia del

Shield volcano

Gallo

Vent

Gelfiser, Monte

Cone

Gelkhamar, Monte

Cone

Glindo

Vent

Katt, Cuddia del

Cone

Khamma, Cuddia

Shield volcano

Khartibucale

Cone

Maccotta, Cuddia

Shield volcano

Mida, Cuddia

Vent

Monastero

Shield volcano

Monte, Cuddia del

Cone

Moro, Cuddia del

Shield volcano

Mueggen, Cuddia

Shield volcano

Patite, Cuddie

Shield volcano

Punta del'Arco

Vent

Punta Tracino

Vent

Randazzo, Cuddia

Cone

Rosse, Cuddie

Cone

San Vito

Vent

Sant'Elmo, Monte

Cone

Scauri, Cuddia di

Shield volcano

Sciuvechi, Cuddia

Shield volcano

Stufe di Kazen

Cone

Valletta, Cuddia

Shield volcano

Craters

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Cinque Denti
Monastero

Pleistocene caldera

Foerstner

Submarine crater

36° 48' 0" N

11° 54' 0" E

Vecchia, La

Pleistocene caldera

Domes

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Fossa Carbonara

Dome

Fossa del Russo

Dome

Gallo, Cuddia del

Dome

Gibille, Monti

Dome

Khaggiar

Dome

Thermal

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Favare

Thermal

Gibele, Monte

Thermal

Passo del Vento

Thermal

Photo Gallery

The 15-km-long island of Pantelleria is constructed above a drowned continental rift in the Strait of Sicily. Part of the mostly buried arcuate rims of two large Pleistocene calderas are seen in this NASA Landsat image (with north to the top). The SE rims of the calderas form the two dark-colored lines at the lower right part of the island, below and to the right of the forested Monte Grande and Monte Gibele shield volcanoes. Monte Gibele, with its circular summit crater, was constructed in the southern part of the younger Cinque Denti caldera.

NASA Landsat7 image (worldwind.arc.nasa.gov)

References

The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography. Discussion of another volcano or eruption (sometimes far from the one that is the subject of the manuscript) may produce a citation that is not at all apparent from the title.

WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).